Following a presentation at their regular meeting June 7, Airdrie City council voted to extend the City’s Urban Beekeeping Pilot Project.
“I am 100 per cent on board to extend this program,” said Coun. Tina Petrow. “After talking to some of our beekeepers in the city, they are really enjoying the opportunity. It seems to be going well.”
According to Gail Gibeau, senior planner with the City, the 18-month pilot project started in April 2019. As per the project, Gibeau said a maximum of 20 residential properties and 10 non-residential properties have been allowed to keep two beehives on their property.
“To support and promote urban beekeeping, the City hosted two open hives days at a beehive located on City-owned lands [in June and September] 2018 and an urban beekeeping training workshop [in] March 2019,” Gibeau said. “The workshop provided the participants training on beekeeping in an urban setting, with special emphasis on hive management.”
According to the council meeting’s agenda report, during the initial launch and the months following, there was strong support from residents wishing to participate in the project.
However, despite this support, Gibeau said staff not receive the maximum number of allowed applications. According to the staff report, there are currently nine residential properties participating in the project in Airdrie and no urban beekeeping on non-residential lands.
The report claimed a significant constraint noted by potential participants has been the neighbourly consent required to participate in the project.
“Given the relative low level of participation in the pilot project, staff are not confident the guidelines have been vetted enough to make a recommendation to council on the future of urban beekeeping in the city,” the report stated.
Gibeau added administration needs to collect more information before staff can make its recommendation to council considering the continuation of the program. She acknowledged interest in beekeeping has been higher since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.
“Since the start of the pandemic, there has been an increase in inquiries into the pilot project, but no applications have been submitted,” Gibeau said. “Administration believes this is an opportune time to promote the urban agriculture projects and bring awareness to urban beekeeping in the community.”
Petrow said as an extension is granted, it may be worthwhile for staff or council to visit some of the people taking part in the pilot project to help guide promotion of the program.
“Letting people see the hives in action on private property may be a pretty good idea,” she said.
Gibeau said gathering more information for promotional use for the local beekeepers is in the works, but has slowed down due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“We are trying to make do, given the circumstances,” she said.
The item to extend the pilot project until Nov. 30 was passed unanimously.
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
